Former Barcelona and Brazil defender Dani Alves sentenced to four and a half years in prison

Former footballer Dani Alves has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison for raping a 23-year-old girl in the bathroom of a private room at the Sutton nightclub in Barcelona on the night of December 30-31, 2022. The Barcelona Court of Appeal has announced the sentence two weeks after the trial began.

The ex-footballer has also been sentenced to a further five years of ‘supervised’ freedom upon release and ordered to pay €150,000 to the victim plus legal fees as well as having a ban on going within one kilometre of her or communicating with her by any means for nine years. The 40-year-old served a year of pre-trial detention in Brians 2 prison in Barcelona.

Victim’s story

The court found that the victim’s version was solid and had not changed throughout the proceedings, unlike that of the former Brazil international. The court does not consider it proven that the amount of alcohol ingested on the night of December 30-31 influenced Alves’ behaviour to the point of being a mitigating factor, as the defence had intended to demonstrate.

During the trial, the victim confirmed her story, behind closed doors, saying that Alves forced her to have sex. She voluntarily entered the bathroom of the private room, but according to her testimony, when she wanted to leave, Alves prevented her from doing so. The two friends who were with her that night testified that the player had a “slimy” attitude and also said that after leaving the bathroom, the victim was devastated and told them that Alves had hurt her “a lot”.

Alves, who testified last at the request of the defence, assured that he had consensual sexual relations with the young woman and said that “the two of them were enjoying themselves”. The ex-footballer’s wife, Joana Sanz, said that Alves arrived home that night smelling of alcohol and was falling into furniture in their home.